John annan bryce



(No Model.) r 2 Sheets-"Sheet 1.

' J. A. BRYCE.

COIN C(SNTRULLED VENDING MACHINE. No. 532,526. Patented Jan. 15, 1895.

(536,79. Z7 fiu/en/ ar W I 44, MM?

TN: NORRIS PETERs co, vum'cumc, WASNINGTON, n. c.

UN TE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ANNAN BRYCE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,526, dated January15, 1895. Application filed April 26,1890. serial No- 349,59Q- (Nomodel.) Patented in England February 141 1888] 1 .lo aZZ whom/it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ANNAN BRYCE, a subject of the Queen ofGreatBritain, residing at London, in the county of Middlesex, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vendingor, Delivering Machines, (for which I have obtained a patent in GreatBritain, No. 2,202, bearing date of February 14, 1888,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic vending or deliveringmachines and has specialthough not exclusive reference to the deliveryof articles deficient in rigidity or of indefinite shape or size.

I employ supports which may for example be of the form of platforms,trays, cups, or the like of suitable size and strength for supportingthe articles or material to be sold or delivered: and I hinge, suspendor sustain these supports so as to render them capable of movement insuch manner as to release the articles and allow them to drop or passthrough a chute or otherwise to the exterior of the machine or into adrawer or compartment from which they can be readily removed. I causethese supports to be successively operated by means of what I may forconvenience term a traveler. This traveler may consist of an endlessband or driving chain or the like having at any convenient part thereofa projection or releasing device which successively comes in contactwith the supports or with a device or part connected thereto so as tocause them to be released or moved and the article to be delivcred; orthe traveler may consist of a screw and a nut or carriage travelingthereon and operatingthe supports after the manner hereinbeforementioned.

I actuate the traveler by means of a slide or pusher or the like whichmay act upon a ratchet wheel or other similar or equivalent device by,means of a pawl or its equivalent and so cause a definite amount ofmovement of the traveler. In some cases the said slide or pusher insteadof acting directly upon the ratchet wheel may act indirectly through theagency of a coin: and when this is the case suitable arrangements areused to insure the mechanism being operated by-a coin of the correctvalue only, the coin being, after each able receptacle.

operation of the machine, passed to a suit- For the ratchet and pawlarrangement referred to I may when desired substitute any otherconvenient known device for converting reciprocating into rotary motion,and this either with orwithout the intervention of a coin acting asaforesaid.

When desired I may instead of employing a slide or pusher or otherreciprocating actuating device employ an actuating device placed at orconnected'with the exterior of the machine capable of rotary or angularmotion.

To close the coin slit, or orifice through which the coin is introduced,when the last article has been delivered or the last support operated, Iemploy a shutter connected by any convenient mechanical movement withsuch last support or with the traveler;

Having thus described in general language the nature and object of myinvention I shall now proceed to explain in detail one or more ways inwhich it is to be or may be performed or carried into effect and inorder that this more detailed description maybe more readily understoodI have annexed hereunto sheets have inserted in the same figuresandletters of reference corresponding with those in the followingexplanation. V

In the drawings similar letters of reference apply to similar orequivalent parts.

Figure l is a side view of the essential parts of my improvements, andFig. 2 is a view of the same with the drop shutter and its actuatingmechanism added thereto. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the apparatus shown inFig. 2 with the traveler omitted. Fig. 4 is a front view of the dropshutter for closing the coin slit when the last article has beendelivered from the machine. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detailed views ofdevices for operating the drop shutter indirectly through means of thetumbler of the last of the series of movable supports, or the lock orgripping device engaging such tumbler,.or the traveler itself, respectively.

Fig. 1 is a drawing illustrating the essential parts of the deliveringmechanism of one form of my invention. In this form a number ofplatforms A, A, A constituting the supports, are superposed one over theother; and each of these serves to support a single newspaper or otherarticle. These platforms are rigidly attached to the tumblers B, B, Bwhich engage with the gripping pieces 0, O, C which latter rest on thepins D, D, D when free from the releasing device or tripper E. Thisreleasing device or tripper is mounted on the driving chain F whichengages and passes over the sprocket wheels G G (for convenience ofdrawing the driving chain F is shown in the figure by the simple line,and the sprocket wheels G, G by circles). To the wheel G is rigidlyattached the ratchet wheel H this being engaged by the pawl J mounted onthe lever K which moves loose upon the same arbor orcenter L upon whichthe ratchet H and the wheel G are fixed. M is a slide or pusher uponwhich is a pin 721 working in the slot 713' of the lever K, the latterbeing retained in its normal position by the spring N. To explain theoperation of the apparatus shown in this figure let us assume that theslide or pusher M is actuated so as to move in the direction shown bythe arrow. Such a movement will cause the lever K to be turned on thecenter L so as to cause the pawl J to move the ratchet wheel H and withit the sprocket wheel G and driving chain F in the direction shown bythe arrow. The dimensions and the adjustment of these parts are such asto cause the distance moved by the releasing device E to be such as toactuate one of the platforms at each complete operation of the slide orpusher. It will thus be seen that the releasing device E and thegripping device 0 will on the operation of the slide M move into thepositions e and 0 shown in dotted lines. The tumblerB being now freedfrom the gripping device 0 will be free to turn, and with it theplatform to which it is attached by reason of the weight of the latterinto the position shown by the dotted lines b and a so that the articlewhich was supported on the platform will drop downward into a chute orbe otherwise passed to the exterior of the machine, or into a drawer orcompartment from which it can be removed.

A convenient device for closing the coin slit when the last support hasbeen operated consists of a shutter or plate which is normally engagedby a lever so that when the said lever is moved laterally the plate willbe dropped over the coin slit so as to close it. I-find it convenient tooperate the said lever by attaching to the end farthest from the saidplate a beveled piece so that the pressure or impact, of the lastsupport, or a part connected thereto, or of the traveller when the levelof the last support has been attained, upon the beveled surface willmove the lever laterally. On the said plate the words All sold may beengraved or a separate plate having such words may be attached to theplate which covers the coin slit so as to come opposite a window andmake the announcement when the plate drops.

The construction of the device for closing the coin-slit and theconnections for operating the same by means of the coin-controlledmechanism is as follows: Y is a verticallymoving drop shutter bearingthe inscription All sold and provided with a projection Y which isnormally engaged by a lever X pivoted at X to a bracket and providedwith a suitable spring X for returning it to normal position after ithas been laterally moved by the device arranged to throw it intooperation upon the delivery of the last article from the machine. Thislever is provided at its end farthest from the shutter with asnitablybeveled push-piece X which is arranged to be engaged and pushedaside by the movement of either the tumbler B of the last of the seriesof supports A as shown in Fig. 5, or by the movement of the trippingdevice 0 thereof, as shown in Fig. 6, or by the movement of the trip orstriker E of the traveler F, as shown in Fig. 7. The several describedparts lie norniallyin the positionsshown. W'hen, now, the last support Aof the series of supports, delivers its article, the push-piece X willbe shoved aside thereby moving laterally the lever X in the directionindicated by the adjacent arrows in Fig. 3 and dropping the shutter Yover the coin slit V.

hen one article is to be sold or delivered for each payment made to,andoperation of, the machine one article only is placed upon each support.When more than one article is to be sold or delivered that number ofarticles is placed upon each support. When the article is to be sold ordelivered in bulk then the proper quantity is placed upon each support.

It will be seen that the articles sold by means of my apparatus are notnecessarily of any definite size or shape nor do they require to berigid. It is suflicient that they can be supported on a platform or trayor cup or the like as before described.

It will be understood that in the case where the machine is constructedto sell or deliver a specific article the supports may be convenientlyof such size and shape and distance apart as to suit the said articles.WVhen however the machine is not constructed to sell a specific articlethen the supports should be constructed of such distance apart and ofsuch shape and strength as to be suitable for the largest and heaviestarticles likely to be sold or delivered from the machine. 7

I desire it to be understood that my invention does not include what isknown as the coin-releasing or cOinactuating mechanism employed inautomatic vending machines; nor does it include any particulararrangement for insuring that the machine shall be operated by a coin ofthe required value only. There are many forms of coinreleasing orcoin-actuating mechanism and of mechanism for insuring that the machineshall only be actuated by a coin of the correct value which mayconveniently be employed in conjunction with my delivering mechanism.

are sold) lies in the employment of a number.

of superposed supports each serving to support the exact amount ofmaterial or number of articles (one or more as the case may be) as areto be sold or, delivered at each operation of the machine these--supports being successively operated by a traveler so as to move oralter their position and so allow the material or articles which theysupport to drop and pass either to the exterior of the machine or to areceptacle from which it or they can be conveniently removed.

My invention may be employed in conj unction with a part or parts ofother forms of automatic vending or delivering machines.

My invention is particularly suitable for the automatic saleofnewspapers and magazines.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Pat cut, is-- 1. In a vending machine, the combination of aseries of movable supports each moving about a fixed axis and eachserving of itself to sustain an article or commodity, mechanism forretaining said supports in position for sustaining its said article orcommodity, and

traveling means for engaging said retaining mechanism and consecutivelydischarging the articles or commodities.

2. In a vending machinethe combination of a series of supports eachserving of itself to sustain an article or commodity and capable ofmoving to release an article sustained thereby, a traveler adapted tosuccessively operate said supports and means for controlling themovement of said traveler.

3. In a vending machine the combination of a series of superposedsupports each serving of itself to sustain an article or commodity andcapable of moving to release an article sustained thereby, a traveleradapted to suecessively operate said supports and means for periodicallyoperating the said-traveler.

4. In avending machine the combination of a series of hinged or pivotedsupports each serving of itself to sustain an article or commodity andprovided with a gripping device for holding it in position to sustain anarticle, a traveler for successively engaging and releasing saidgripping devices and means for periodically operating said traveler.

5. In a vending machine the combination of i a series of supports eachserving of itself to sustain an article or commodity and consisting ofone or more members capable of moving to release an article sustainedthereby, a traveler for successively operating said supports and meansfor periodically moving said traveler.

6. In a vending machine thecombination of a series of supports eachserving of itself to sustain an article or commodity, tumblers connectedtherewith and gripping devices controlling said tumblers, a traveler forsuccessivelyengaging said looks or gripping devices 7 5 and therebyoperating said supports serzattm,

and means for periodically actuating the traveler.

7. In a vending machine the combinationof a series of movable supports,each serving of itself to sustain an article or commodity an endlesstraveler provided with a releasingdevice for engaging and releasing saidsupports and means for periodically operating said traveler.

8. In a vending machine the combination of a series of movable supports,each serving of itself to sustain an article or commodity an endlesstraveler provided with a releasingdevice for engaging and successivelyoperating said supports, a drive-wheel for said traveler and ratchetconnectedwith said wheel and provided with a feeding pawl forperiodically driving the ratchet.

9. In a coin-operated vending machine, the combination of a coin-chuteand a slit for depositing a coin therein, a series of hinged supportscontrolled by a coin, a shutter for closing said coin-slit and anintermediate hinged lever holding said shutter normally open andactuated by the last of the series of said supports.

10. In a coin-controlled vending machine, the combination of acoin-chute having a slit for depositing a coin therein, a shutter forclosing said coin-slit upon the delivery of the last article from themachine and a hinged lever for operating said shutter, a movable supportprovided with a tumbler and a gripping device for said tumbler, saidtumbler adapted to engage and actuate said lever, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

11. In a coin-controlled vending machine, the combination of acoin-chute having a slit for depositing a coin therein, a shutter forclosing said coin-slit upon the delivery of the last article from themachine and a hinged le- Witnesses:

JAMES GRIEvE LORRAIN, HAROLD BUTTER.

